Branch clamp for oil-wells.



PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906.

R. B. NELSON.

BRANCH CLAMP FOR OIL WELLS.

INVENTOR:

By his Attorney APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23, 1905.

ITNESSES: Q Q\% I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT B. N ELSON, OF OORNPLANTER TOWNSHIP, VENANGO COUNTY,

' PENNSYLVANIA.

BRANCH CLAMP FOR OIL-WELLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 27, 1906.

1'0 (L46 w/wm it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RoBERrB. NELSON, a citizen of the United States, residing in Cornplanter township, in the county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Branch Clamps for Oil-Wells, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in clamps used to connect oilt well rods with the source of power which drives such rods; and the object of my invention is to provide a clamp of this class which will be capable of connecting several rods of this class with a single source of power and which will at the same time permit any of the rods to be detached from or attached to the clamp without interrupting the working of the other wells the rods of which are attached to the same clamp. In those cases in which the several rods leading one from each well are attached directly to the source of power any contingency which necessitates the detachment of one of the rods also necessitates the shutting down of the whole plant; but by means of my new clamp not only may a larger number of wells be operated from a single source of power, but a breakdown in any of the wells will in no wise affect the working of the other wells driven from that source. Further, the wells of the same group may be worked independently of each other or all together from the same source.

In the drawings illustrating the principle of my invention and the best mode now known to me of applying that principle, Figure 1 shows my new clamp in working position and operatively connected with the rods from three wells driven through it by the same source of power. Fig' 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 3 is an edge view. Fig. 4 is an inside view of the back, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of the face of the clamp.

The back a of the clamp is made in a single piece and carries a loop I), to which is fastened the rod 0 of one of the wells. The face of the clamp is made in three parts, the upper half being formed of a single piece, while the lower half is made up of two similar pieces e and R ferring particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, the back a is formed at its lower end with recesses g, which register with the recesses g in the face members 6 and f to form sockets for bl/1,6 reception of the heads of the rods 0 and c which lead to and operate the other two wells. The upper end of the back a is formed with a recess h, which registers with the recess h in the face member (1 for the receptlon of the headed lower end of the pltman c, which is driven by the eccentric y.

The parts of the clamp are held together by means of squareended bolts 7c, which pass through the bolt-holes m.

To the sides of the clamp are secured skackles n, to which a tie-line may be secured, the other end of the tie-l1ne being made fast to a suitable holdfastsuch as a tree, post, stake, or the likefor the purpose of preventing the clamp from turning, as 1t may do in case the wells should pull with an unequal tension one from the other or that that they should lie at an angle from the llne of the driving power.

From the foregoing description 1t Wlll be seen that not only does my new clamp enable me to drive several oil-well rods from a slngle source of power, but it furthermore enables me to operate any one of the wells 1ndependently of the others and to detach or attach any of the rods 0 c 0 without lnterruptmg the working of the other well or wells. The ends of the rods embedded securely 1n the sockets in the clamp cannot pull out, nor can such ends or heads pull ofi.

The s uare ends on the bolts k permlt of their rea y removal, for the square ends prevent the bolts from turning when the nuts are removed preparatory to pulling out the bolts.

What I claim is 1. As a new article of manufacture, a clamp of the class described made up of a back formed of a single piece; a face the up per half of which is made of a single piece and the lower half of which is formed of two pieces; and means for securing the parts together. v

2. As a new article of manufacture, a clamp of the class described made up of a back formed of a single piece and provided with a loop for the attachment of an o1l-well rocl a face one half of which is made of a s1r 1- gle piece and the other half of which 1s formed of two pieces; and means for securing the back and face members together.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a

ICO

clamp of the class described made up of a one-part back and a multipart face secured thereto; said back and face being formed With a plurality of recesses for the reception of headed rods, and the several parts of the face being separately detachable from the back to release a rod While holding the other rods securely.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a clamp of the class described made up of a one-part back and a multipart face secured thereto, the parts of the face being separately. detachable from the back; and means for se-' curing a tie-line to said clamp.

5. In combination in a structure of the classdescribed, a driving mechanism; a multipart clamp which connects said mechanism With a plurality of oil-Well rods; said rods; the parts of said clamp being" separately removable to detach one or more of said rods While retaining the remaining rods in locked condition.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a clamp made up of a back and a multipart face secured thereto; the opposed faces of said back and face being formed with cooper ating recesses and the parts of said face being separately detachable from said back.

ROBERT B. NELSON.

Witnesses:

J. D. TRAX, MABEL B. KLASE. 

